The Senate has summoned the leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for an emergency meeting over Nigeria’s worsening football fortunes.
The meeting followed Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons’ failure to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The Senate Committee on Sports, chaired by Senator Abdul Ningi, met with NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko and NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau on Wednesday to examine the factors behind the country’s recent poor football performances.
Speaking after the meeting, Ningi said the session was convened at the instance of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who had demanded explanations on the state of Nigerian sports, particularly football.
Ningi said the meeting was also aimed at encouraging the NSC and NFF to resolve their differences and work together to restore Nigeria’s position in international football.
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“I called them to close ranks, that is, the Nigerian Football Federation and the National Sports Commission because as it is today, they are wide apart,” he said.
The senator added that the meeting would serve as a prelude to a comprehensive briefing he plans to present to the Senate when it resumes next month on the state of sports and football, as well as measures to reverse the downturn.
Ningi expressed concern that Nigeria’s teams had continued to struggle despite what he described as significant support and motivation from President Bola Tinubu.
He noted that the President had provided $100,000 each to players and officials and that funding for the sports sector had also been substantially increased.
The committee chairman said the Senate was particularly concerned by Nigeria’s failure to reach the 2026 World Cup and the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
However, Ningi cautioned against calls for the immediate dissolution of the NFF, stressing that any action by the National Assembly must comply with Nigerian law and FIFA statutes.
“My concern is that whatever action we must do, we must do it within the limits of the law. We must look at our laws, and we must also look at the FIFA statutes,” he said.
The Senate is expected to further examine the challenges affecting Nigerian football and consider measures aimed at improving the country’s performance on the international stage.
